Yahya Jammeh, the former authoritarian leader of The Gambia who fled into exile in 2017, has declared his intention to return home this month, citing constitutional rights and a commitment to national stability. The announcement, made through his mandated representative Momodou Yafaye Tamba, marks a dramatic development in the West African nation’s post-dictatorship era.
In a press statement dated November 3, 2025, and signed by Tamba on Jammeh’s behalf, the ex-president expressed “deep gratitude” to Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the government, and people for their “extraordinary hospitality, steadfast brotherhood, and protection” over the past eight years. Jammeh, who has been residing in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017 under an ECOWAS-AU-UN Joint Agreement, stated that his return would be peaceful and rooted in patriotism.
“Former President Jammeh’s return is asserted as his constitutional right, specifically in accordance with the provisions of the ECOWAS-AU-UN Joint Agreement of 21st January 2017, which guarantees his liberty to return to The Gambia at any time of his choosing,” the statement read. It emphasized Jammeh’s departure in 2017 was “executed exclusively in the supreme interest of national unity and the preservation of state stability,” while reiterating an “unwavering commitment to a peaceful return.”
A formal letter detailing the intent will be dispatched on Monday to President Adama Barrow and the Speaker of the National Assembly, with copies to ECOWAS, the African Union, UN commissions, and diplomatic missions in The Gambia. The declaration aims to “definitively dispel misinformation, discourage division, and reaffirm our collective faith in the goodwill, maturity, and unity of the Gambian people.”
Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and ruled for 22 years with an iron fist, marked by human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances documented by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). His refusal to concede defeat in the December 2016 election to Adama Barrow triggered a regional crisis. ECOWAS intervened militarily in January 2017, forcing Jammeh’s exile to Equatorial Guinea after negotiations ensured his safety and protection of his assets.
The announcement comes amid ongoing debates over Jammeh’s potential prosecution; the government has accepted TRRC recommendations to try him for alleged crimes, but no extradition has occurred. Critics fear that his return could destabilize Barrow’s administration, while supporters view it as a step toward reconciliation. President Barrow’s office stated last week that Jammeh will be prosecuted if he returns home, but this move tests The Gambia’s fragile democratic gains and the effectiveness of regional mediation frameworks.
